Written Answers

Tuesday 18 April 2000

Scottish Executive

Elderly People

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it responded to the Sutherland report With Respect to Old Age .

Iain Gray: I outlined the Scottish Executive’s proposals for progressing the report’s two main recommendations in a debate in this Parliament on 2 December. At present, we are making considerable progress in implementing the other recommendations through a number of initiatives.

Employment

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected spend and throughput levels will be for Skillseekers, Training for Work and the New Deal in each of the next three financial years, commencing April 2000.

Henry McLeish: Skillseekers and Training for Work are both delivered by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Each year Grant-in-Aid targets are agreed with the respective Enterprise bodies. These include volume-based targets, which are outlined in the reply below, and other targets which are designed to measure the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Skillseekers and Training for Work. As these targets are agreed annually with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, they can only be supplied for the current year, 2000-01. Expenditure figures for both programmes have been supplied for 2000-01 and 2002-02 but not for 2002-03, as these will be considered as part of the Spending Review.

  The youth training budget is £87.6 million in 2000-01 and £89.6 million in 2001-02. This includes an additional £3 million in 2000-01 and £5 million in 2001-02 for Modern Apprenticeships. In 2000-01, Scottish Enterprise have been set a target of 24,000 first-time entrants to Skillseekers, which includes 8,000 Modern Apprenticeships. They have also been set a target of 36,000 Skillseekers in training, including 15,000 Modern Apprenticeships. Highlands and Islands Enterprise have been set a target of 1,175 first-time entrants to Skillseekers, including 400 Modern Apprenticeships, and a target of 2,555 Skillseekers in training including 1,310 Modern Apprenticeships.

  The budget allocation for Training for Work from the Comprehensive Spending Review is £48 million for the three years from 1999-2000 to 2001-02. For 2000-01 the number of new starts to the programme have been agreed as 14,000 for the Scottish Enterprise LEC network and 750 for Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

  Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland, it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish organisations, as indicated in the answer to question S1W-5969 also answered today.

  The information requested on expenditure and throughputs for all New Deals in Scotland for the next three financial years is not currently available. However, details of the allocation for 2000-01 should be available in May – as will planning assumptions for 2001-02 and 2002-03 based on latest volume information.

  The total expenditure to date (end-February) on all the New Deals in Scotland amounts to approximately £65.5 million. This figure understates the total cost accrued due to time lags in billing and reimbursement.

  In addition, there are central running and marketing costs for each programme, which have not been included in the above figure.

Fuel Poverty

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it is working in a joined-up way to tackle fuel poverty, both within the Scottish Executive and in relation to its links with Her Majesty's Government.

Mr Frank McAveety: In Scotland, fuel poverty is being tackled through the Healthy Homes Initiative including the Warm Deal. The Executive’s policies complement those of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretaries of State for Social Security, Education and Employment and Trade and Industry, all of whom are helping the fuel poor through their policies on taxation, Benefit levels, employment and training and the terms governing the supply of domestic energy respectively.

Genetically Modified Crops

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the precautionary principle is being implemented in relation to the genetically modified crop farm evaluation trials in Scotland.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is committed to acting with caution based on sound scientific advice. Consent to plant GM crops for farm scale evaluations is only granted after stringent laboratory testing and the planting of small, controlled experimental sites have demonstrated that they are safe to human and animal health, and do not pose any direct environmental risk.

  The farm scale evaluations are a three-year UK-wide research programme, designed to provide robust information on any environmental consequences of growing GM crops on an agricultural scale when compared with similar non-GM crops. The programme of farm scale evaluations is the precautionary principle in practice. No GM crops will be grown commercially in this country in advance of passing all the regulatory controls and not until the farm scale research programme is completed and independently evaluated.

Historic Buildings

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts are being made to counter the gradual deterioration of the historic building stock and safeguard the future of Outstanding Conservation Areas in the West End of Glasgow.

Rhona Brankin: The maintenance and repair of historic buildings and buildings within outstanding conservation areas is primarily the responsibility of owners. Repair grants are available, both from Historic Scotland and Glasgow City Council, in cases where owners are unable to meet the full cost. The Glasgow Conservation Trust – West has been established to address concern about the state of repair of many properties in the West End outstanding conservation area. The Trust is funded jointly by Historic Scotland and Glasgow City Council and has spent £680,000 over the last five years on repair grants. The Trust is currently undertaking a condition survey of Hillhead. Historic Scotland has also provided grants of £2.5 million to assist with the cost of repairs to Glasgow University and £600,000 to the City Council for repairs to the Kibble Palace, among a number of major projects in the West End.

Housing

Mr Alex Salmond (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its proposed Housing Bill will contain provisions on the statutory right to participate and whether it will give details.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Executive has commissioned the Tenants Information Service to undertake a feasibility study into whether and how a statutory right to participate might be introduced in Scotland. The Tenants Information Service has been asked to consult with both tenant and landlord representatives. The study will report in June 2000 and will be taken into account as part of the preparation for the proposed Housing Bill.

Illegal Money Lending

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5399 by Mr Frank McAveety on 30 March 2000, whether it can indicate what the estimated number of employees engaged in work dealing with illegal money lending and contraventions of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 was immediately prior to local government re-organisation in 1996.

Mr Frank McAveety: No. Historical information, actual or estimated, on staff working in this area of activity is not available.

Information Technology

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what representation it will have on the UK delegation to the Ministerial Conference on the knowledge and information society in Lisbon on 10-11 April 2000.

Henry McLeish: As at all EU events, Scotland will be represented through the UK delegation, however it is constituted.

Justice

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5454 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 April 2000, what the detailed remit is of the review group set up to investigate criminal checks in relation to voluntary organisations.

Mr Jim Wallace: The remit of the Part V Voluntary Issues Review Group is:

  "To consider the impact of the introduction of criminal record checks under Part V of the Police Act 1997 on voluntary organisations. To review charging issues and policies as they apply to the voluntary sector."

Justice

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5454 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 April 2000, whether it will provide details of the timetable for the publication of the report and recommendations of the review group established to investigate criminal record checks in relation to voluntary organisations.

Mr Jim Wallace: There is currently no timetable for publication of the report, but the review group appreciates the need for conclusions to be reached as quickly as possible.

Justice

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5454 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 April 2000, how many times the review group set up to investigate criminal record checks in relation to voluntary organisations has met.

Mr Jim Wallace: The review group has met on three occasions so far and further meetings are planned.

Legal Aid

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the civil legal aid hourly rate of remuneration last increased.

Mr Jim Wallace: The fees for civil legal aid work were last increased in 1995.

Legal Aid

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to increase the civil legal aid hourly rate of remuneration.

Mr Jim Wallace: Discussions have taken place in the Tripartite Working Group which comprises officials from the Scottish Executive, the Law Society of Scotland and the Scottish Legal Aid Board on the question of an increase in legal aid fees. The society intend to make proposals to the group and these will be considered by my Department

Legal Aid

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received representations from the Scottish Legal Aid Board regarding rates for pay for solicitors who undertake legal aid work both in the civil and criminal fields.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Legal Aid Board has raised the issue of remuneration rates for solicitors who undertake civil and criminal legal aid work. Initial discussions have taken place within the Tripartite Working Group, which comprises officials of the Scottish Executive, the Board and the Law Society of Scotland.

New Deal

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3137 by Henry McLeish on 23 December 1999, whether it will provide an update, up to 31 March 2000, on the number of companies which have taken on young people under the employment option of the New Deal for Young People and what percentage of trading businesses this figure represents.

Henry McLeish: Employment Policy is reserved to the UK Government, which therefore takes the lead on the funding and delivery of the New Deal throughout Great Britain, although in close consultation with its partners, including the Scottish Executive. Many partner organisations at local level also provide New Deal services under contract or provide funds and other resources including training funds to enhance the quality of New Deal in their areas. The public and voluntary sector organisations that contribute to the New Deal in this way fall within the remit of the Scottish Executive.

  The number of young people in Scotland who had secured sustained jobs through the programme to the end of January 2000 was 15,600 and the number of companies that had signed New Deal employer agreements was 10,600. This represents 7% of businesses registered for VAT and/or PAYE in Scotland.

  Information about the number of companies that have taken on New Deal recruits is not available.

New Deal

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3138 by Henry McLeish on 23 December 1999, whether it will provide an update, up to 31 March 2000, on how many young people who have obtained employment through the New Deal Gateway have been taken on by employers who are not receiving a New Deal subsidy and what percentage of those taken on under the employment option this figure represents.

Henry McLeish: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government, which takes the lead on the funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland, it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish organisations, as indicated in the answers to question S1W-5969 also answered today.

  The total number to the end of January 2000 was 9,340 and this represented 60% of those who had moved into sustained employment by that date.

New Deal

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3139 by Henry McLeish on 23 December 1999, whether it will provide an update, up to 31 March 2000, on the number of people who have joined the employment option of the New Deal for Young People; how many have left the option; of these, how many moved to unsubsidised jobs and whether any information on the number of young people retained by the employer who took them on after the completion of the six month period is now available.

Henry McLeish: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government, which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland, it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish organisations, as indicated in the answer to the question S1W-5969 also answered today.

  By the end of January 2000, 4,120 had joined the employer option: of the 2,410 who had left the employer option, 870 had moved into unsubsidised employment either as a result of being retained by their employers or by moving to a job with another employer. This includes people who left the New Deal from the Employment Option, and people who moved from it into Follow-through and then subsequently left the New Deal.

  Details of periods spent on options and the numbers who are retained by the employer who took them on under the employer option are not available.

New Deal

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3140 by Henry McLeish on 23 December 1999, whether it will provide updated information on the number of people who have joined the New Deal for Young People and on the expenditure incurred on this programme to date.

Henry McLeish: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government, which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish Organisations, as indicated in the answer to the question S1W-5969 also answered today.

  By the end of January 2000, 46,800 had joined the programme in Scotland. Expenditure incurred to that date was approximately £47 million, excluding the cost of allowances where separate information on Scotland is not available. This figure understates the total cost accrued due to time lags in billing and reimbursement.

New Deal

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3141 by Henry McLeish on 23 December 1999, whether it will provide an update, up to 31 March 2000, on expenditure to date on each New Deal programme, other than the New Deal for Young People, and the number of people who have taken part in each of these schemes.

Henry McLeish: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government, which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland, it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish organisations, as indicated in the answer to question S1W-5969 also answered today.

  The expenditure on each New Deal programme in Scotland to February 2000 was:

  a) New Deal for Lone Parents: £4 million

  b) New Deal for Disabled People pilot: £0.6 million

  c) New Deal for Partners of Unemployed People: £0.4 million

  d) New Deal 25 plus: £12.5 million

  e) New Deal 50 plus pathfinder: £0.1 million

  These figures understate the total costs accrued due to time lags in billing and reimbursement. In addition, there are central running and marketing costs for each programme which have not been included in these figures.

  The number of people in Scotland who have taken part in each New Deal at end of January 2000 are:

  a) New Deal for Lone Parents: 11,180

  b) New Deal for Disabled People: 947

  c) New Deal for Partners of Unemployed People: 262

  d) New Deal for 25+: 22,200

  e) New Deal 50 Plus: New Deal 50 Plus will be available nationally from 3 April 2000. This represents a major new £270 million programme for people on benefits over 50 looking for work. It is too early for national participation figures to be available.

New Deal

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3142 by Henry McLeish on 23 December 1999, whether it will provide an update, up to 31 March 2000, on the number of people in each unit of delivery enrolled in the (a) employment, (b) full-time education and training, (c) voluntary sector and (d) environmental task force options of the New Deal.

Henry McLeish: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government, which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland, it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish organisations, as indicated in the answer to question S1W-5969 also answered today.

  The table below shows the numbers in Scotland by Unit of Delivery currently enrolled (end-January figures) in each of the following New Deal options: (a) employment, (b) full-time education and training, (c) voluntary sector and (d) environment task force.

  


Unit of Delivery 


Employer 


Full Time Education/Training 


Voluntary Sector 


Environment Task Force 




Ayrshire 


195 


133 


126 


74 




Borders 


101 


25 


20 


30 




Dumfries & Galloway 


74 


48 


17 


13 




Edinburgh, East & Midlothian 


228 


95 


67 


53 




Forth Valley 


127 


111 


34 


54 




Glasgow 


218 


416 


216 


211 




Grampian 


43 


67 


29 


21 




Inverness & Nairn 


13 


24 


7 


15 




Lanarkshire 


307 


250 


112 


187 




Renfrewshire 


54 


75 


82 


66 




Tayside 


179 


118 


89 


101 




Western Isles 


22 


10 


3 


11 




Dumbarton 


71 


83 


16 


73 




Fife 


89 


222 


44 


81 




Moray, Strathspey & Badenoch 


19 


7 


6 


11 




West Lothian 


35 


18 


33 


21 




Argyll & the Islands 


18 


12 


11 


38 




Caithness & Sutherland 


7 


20 


4 


13 




Lochaber 


1 


1 


1 


1 




Orkney 


7 


1 


1 


3 




Ross & Comarty 


17 


25 


5 


9 




Shetland 


8 


2 


1 


0 




Skye & Lochalsh 


6 


3 


0 


1

Roads

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-1385 by Sarah Boyack on 16 March 2000, what progress has been made with the survey into the condition of local roads being carried out by the Society of Chief Officers of Transport of Scotland.

Sarah Boyack: The progress of the survey referred to is a matter for the society and the local authorities concerned.

Scottish Election Convention

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Election Convention is still in existence and, if not, when it ceased to exist; who its members are or were; what its remit and role is or was, and whether the Commissioners were required to be independent and politically impartial.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Election Commission was set up in January 1999 by the five main political parties in Scotland to monitor their joint agreement in relation to the expenditure of, and donations to, political parties at the first elections to the Scottish Parliament on 6 May 1999. The Commission was a voluntary, non-statutory body which reported to the parties. The Commission produced its final report in June 1999 and, given that it was set up for the specific purpose of monitoring expenditure at the first elections to the Parliament, no longer has any remit.

Teachers

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive why, following the advertising campaign to attract more people into the teaching profession, the Scottish Universities’ faculties of education have offered no more places on PGCE courses than last year.

Peter Peacock: The objective of the advertising campaign was to create interest in teaching as a career with an aim of widening the target audience and encouraging not only those choosing their first career but also suitable candidates who might consider teaching as a second career.

  The setting of intake levels to courses of initial teacher education is the responsibility of the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC). In setting intakes, SHEFC take account of the Department's projections of the minimum requirements for newly qualified teachers, based on pupil numbers, teacher numbers and estimates for future flows in and out of the profession, and guidance offered on other relevant factors affecting the demand for teachers.

Transport

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the amount of funds currently in the Scottish Bus Group pension fund.

Sarah Boyack: The most recent annual report of the Scottish Transport Group, of which the Scottish Bus Group is a wholly owned subsidiary, showed the value of the surplus at 31 March 1999 to be approximately £120 million (net of tax).